I must humbly apologize to all those who have been so patiently waiting for the next part of this fic, Thank you all so much! But because of some unforeseen circumstances I will not be continuing it. The last three chapters of "Masks" I had saved to a disk, has been erased thanks to using someone else's laptop and getting a virus . Its all gone, all that work down the drain, I don't even have the chapters I already posted anymore. I was able to salvage a few other stories I've been working on and I made sure to scour through all my other files and disks, but that was my only copy after my last computer crash. "Masks" is gone, plain and simple. I just don't have the patience, time or the drive to type it all down again, no matter how much I want to.
When it comes to writing LOTR fics with Gimli or Dwarves as the central character(ers) I found it a very tiring up-hill battle. It's not so much the writing or the understanding of his character (Gim's is still my favorite after all) or even the low interest and comments I've come to expect from most of the LOTR fandom when it comes to my fav Dwarf. And nothing is wrong with that! I know most people just prefer Legolas and Elves, nothing wrong with that. One need only ask even most G/L shippers and most of them (if their being honest ) are simply more interested in Legolas. Just read most of the fics out there, even most of the L/G fics ones and you'll see that most revolve around Legolas someway, be it through the elf-angst or continuous detailed descriptions of him and how wonderful he is, with Gimli there as a side order. I can't tell how many times I've read a scene where the author goes on and on about how wonderful Legolas is and how ethereal, thin, beautiful, wise, deadly, graceful, ect, ect,ect. Oh, and Gimli was there too. Its especially funny when its a sex scene!
"Legolas moved and undulated in the moonlight, his fair smooth skin like milk, his glowing and half lidded eyes seeming to change from deep sapphire, to the rolling blue of the sea, to the that of a storm summer sky. His long silken hair falling about his face in a halo of sunlight as petal pink and plump lips gasped with breathy moans. A vision of lithe beauty, his long elegant arms holding onto the stocky body above him, as he threw his head back in pleasure, revealing the long ivory column of his throat.
Gimli could only gape in awe as he watched this enchanted being, marveling at what no artist could ever hope to achieve as he grasped that slender form to his own short hairy form."
laughs I've come to except this long ago and if I was writing only for reviews and for people to fawn over my fics or fanart, I'd probably draw a lot more of Legolas or other Elves. But I'm not in this fandom for that, I want to draw and write what I'm interested in- and most of the time that's Gimli and other Dwarves . Even if, as a wise woman once told me (Love you Soledad!) "You end up writing for your desk." There is just so much left to explore when it comes to Dwarves, all these wonderful things that Tolkien left out that we as the fans can explore. Men and Elves, there is a ton of stuff out there! When it comes to Dwarves there's tons of unexplored territory.
The problem that I find one of the most frustrating is when I do want to post a story- I CAN'T FIND A BETA! I've gone through so many beta reader its not even funny (sob I miss my beloved beta- reader Little My so much), and the ones I do get- it's like pulling teeth! I've had some people volunteer then simply disappear after reading it. As I'm sure that many of you who have been reading my stories know, for the last year or so I haven't been able to get anyone to beta for my fics at all and have been forced to post them as such.
At least the last one (who will remain anonymous) had the decency to email me back tell my why she was no longer interested in beta-ing my story. She said that she originally wanted to help me because her favorite pairing was L/G, but she was disappointed that I didn't have more with Legolas, who she admitted she was more interested in. And though she likes Gimli... she preferred stories that revolved around Legolas, so in turn she was disappointed in my story, which was predominately Dwarf-angst, torture, hurt, for a change. Well at least she told me the truth, right? And there the original ending to "Masks" still up.
Another reason I won't try and re-write "Masks" is... I hate to say it... I'm exhausted and my Gimli-muse is being a complete brat and wont talk to me anymore. But! Because I can't stand it when people quite a fic when I've been waiting and wanting to know what happens next, just email me and I'll tell how the rest of the story would have gone.
And if anyone wants to continue this fic on their own, your more then welcome! This fic is officially up for adoption! Again I'm terrible sorry, and I promise that I'm working on some other fics.